Ask any ‘Western’ genre lover about the greatest film of all time and they will vote for ‘The Good,the bad and the Ugly’. It was this film that become the defining movie of western genre. Interestingly, Many classic western films came before its release in 1966. After the 60s, the western genre saw a decline and except a dozen of western films produced after this classic, all others are just piece of junk. There are many reasons favoring this Sergio Leone’s masterpiece to be called as one of the greatest film ever made in the history of cinema. The Good,The Bad and the Ugly was the third and final film in the series that is often called as Man with No Name Trilogy or Dollars Trilogy. All 3 films of the trilogy were directed by Sergio leone and starred Clint eastwood in the lead role of Blondie aka Man with No Name. This was the role that made Clint Eastwood a star overnight. The role become the trademark role of Clint eastwood and the western genre became the trademark genre of Clint.

Plot:
Set in the backdrop of American Civil war (in 1862) the plot of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly follows a man who has no name but is occasionally called as Blondie. Blondie is a gunslinger, a bounty hunter and plays the titular ‘Good’. The film begins with Blondie making a partnership with Tuco (Eli Wallach) who plays the titular ‘Ugly’. The two fools the authorities when Blondie hands Tuco to them and earn the prize money ($2000 reward on Tuco’s Head) but later frees him and shares the money with him. However the partnership ends soon due to a fight between Tuco and Blondie. The partners become rival and then becomes partners again when they are forced to work together to find a $200,000 hidden gold. In a Twist of fate, the duo are caught by Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef, portraying the titular ‘Bad’) who is also on the hunt for Gold. This begin a series of events where friends become foes and foes become friends just to find out the hidden treasure. The climax of the film is what defines the whole plot and also the title of the film.

The plot does take time to get around with but once you understand the motive of the characters you get right in to the film. There are few iconic scenes in the film. All 3 actors (specially Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood) gave timeless performance. Added to the plot and the acting is the music of the film which is still fresh and energetic. Ennio Morricone could be easily cited as one of the finest music composer in the history of cinema due to his contribution to the soundtrack of The Good, The bad and the Ugly. The Coyote howls become the trademark of the western films and are easily one of the most recognized music sounds in the world. Sergio Leone is considered by many as one of the finest director of all time and this film surely proves his ability.

The Bad: Many may find it tiring
The film is aprrox. 3 hours long and takes time to build momentum. So if you’re a person with low attention span, then you might not like it. Though it work as a single story borrowing only characters and scenarios from previous films in trilogy yet many will get confused about the lead character and his origin.

Should I Watch It?: If you really want to know what western genre is or if you praise art films. Plus if you really want to know how to look cool as Blondie.